Tuesday, April 23, 2013

On a chilly unexpected evening in New York, the Dodgers picked up a struggling Clayton Kershaw with seven runs, four RBI off of a pair of Mark Ellis HR, to take the first game of the series.

Kershaw lasted only five innings due to a high pitch count (111 pitches over 5.0 IP). He cruised through the first eight batters but hit a speed bump when pitcher Robert Carson (subbing for Mets starter Jon Niese, who lasted only 2.1 IP after getting hit by a Mark Ellis comebacker), walked. Three walks and two singles later, Kershaw was able to get the third out but now with the Dodgers down 2-1. Kershaw again had trouble in the fifth with two out again, and though no runs scored, his night was over.

But Mark Ellis! HR 100 and 101 of his career seemed to knock the Dodgers out of their lackluster energy funk; his first HR tied the game at 2 in the fifth, and then his three-run HR to left-center broke open the game, 5-2. Add a two-run double off the bat of his relative, AJ Ellis, and the Dodgers were cruising to victory.

Credit also goes to Ronald Belisario, Paco Rodriguez, Matt Guerrier, and Josh Wall for four single-inning stints that allowed one hit and no runs, total. I don't know who these seven-run-scoring Dodgers are, but with our starting pitchers going down like bowling pins, it's nice to see the bats finally starting to wake up.